Duyen Hai 1 thermal power plant in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh. Several provinces in the region have rejected coal-fueled thermal power projects – PHOTO: VNA

CAN THO - The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang has endorsed the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for its thermal power plant project, in place of coal. Earlier, two other provinces in the delta, Long An and Bac Lieu, rejected coal-fired power plants over environmental concerns.

For the thermal power project at Tan Phuoc power center, the province will choose LNG as a better alternative for the environment, Doan Van Phuong, director of the Department of Industry and Trade in Tien Giang, told the Saigon Times on September 23.

The province had previously planned to develop a thermal power project but had yet to state whether coal or LNG would be used to fuel the facility. However, on learning that the operations of some coal-fired power plants across the country have created serious environmental pollution, the province decided to call for investors using LNG to power the station, he said.

There will be four power generators at Tan Phuoc power center, each with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts. The first generator is expected to be put into service in 2027, Phuong added.

According to the website of Power Engineering Consulting JSC 2 (PECC2), the State utility Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) is the investor of the Tan Phuoc power center.

PECC2, a shareholding concern established by EVN, was assigned in August 2017 to propose an optimal input material for the project by analyzing, assessing and comparing coal and LNG in terms of environmental impact, energy security, generation costs and so on.

EVN’s Power Generation Corporation 3 in a working session in 2016 with the provincial government proposed developing the Tan Phuoc power center to cover 420 hectares of land with an expanded capacity of 3,600 megawatts, using imported coal.

Le Minh Duc, director of the Department of Industry and Trade in Long An, previously said that the province had proposed the Government approve a switch from coal to LNG for the Long An power center and to increase the project’s capacity, as coal-fired plants pollute the environment, said Duc.

Similarly, Bac Lieu received the green light from the Government to suspend the Cai Cung coal-fueled thermal power plant project and switch to calls for investors willing to use LNG.